Dulcea of Worms

Dulcea, whose name derived from Latin adjective “dulcis”, meaning “agreeable, pleasant, kind” was a Jewish businesswoman and a member of a small pietistic circle of Jews, the Hasidei Ashkenaz.

She was married to a major rabbinic figure, Rabbi Eleazar ben Judah of Worms who may have written some of the passages in Sefer Hasidim, (The Book of the Pious), an important historical source for everyday Jewish life in medieval Ashkenaz.

Dulcea was a capable businesswoman and a respected investment broker. She pooled the funds of her neighbors, lent them out at profitable interest rated and received a commission. She had an excellent knowledge of Jewish practice, which was an unusual occurrence for a woman in that time, and used it to taught Torah to her daughters and other women. In 1196, Dulcea and her two daughters, Bellette and Hannah, were murdered in their home.